The University field hockey team had the chance to clinch the number one seed in the upcoming NEC Tournament, but failed to pull it off. The Hawks lost to Rider University on Thursday by a score of 32.
Monmouth and Rider went into the matchup tied for first place in the Northeast Conference, and the winner would most likely have the opportunity to seal the number one seed for the postseason tournament.
Rider got on the board first to take a quick 10 lead. Monmouth responded a little bit after with a pass at the baseline from Michelle Pieczynski to Patricia O’Dwyer to tie the game up. Rider responded with two more goals in the first half to take a 31 halftime lead.
Monmouth finally added another goal in the 55th minute when O’Dwyer received a redirected pass from Morganne Firmstone, to make it a 32 game. Now with only about 15 minutes remaining, Monmouth resorted to their offensive attack to make something happen, but in the end, they weren’t able to find the back of the net again.
Overall, it was a fairly even game, as Rider led Monmouth in shots 1311 while Monmouth led in penalty corners.
Despite the tough loss, the Hawks moved on to face off against Saint Francis(PA) on Sunday. It was also senior day, as Monmouth honored the team’s six seniors, which included Morganne Firmstone, Tara Brown, Emily Rosati, Melissa Murphy, Kayleigh Kalamar, and Ashley McPeek. The ceremony was held right before the opening whistle. Monmouth got off to a fast start in the first half when Michelle Pieczynski found Kayleigh Kalamar who struck for the first goal of the game. The score remained 10 at the end of the first half.
Early in the second half, Monmouth scored again. This time it was assisted by Ashley McPeek and then redirected by Pieczynski who fired for her first goal of the game. About five minutes later, the Hawks got on the board again when McPeek once again found Pieczynski who backhanded it to score her second goal.
“We showed a lot of heart. Our seniors mean the world to us. We wanted to play as hard as we could out there,” Coach Figlio stated.
Pieczynski finished the game with five points, including two goals and an assist.
“Me and Ashley have been connecting really well. We know where each are going,” said Pieczynski. Pieczynski became Monmouth’s all time leader in points on Sunday when she scored her two goals. She currently stands at 94 career points, including 41 goals and 12 assists.
McPeek had two assists, and goalkeeper Teresa Mathews racked up three saves. Nicole Manziano recorded one defensive save. Monmouth led in shots 117 and on penalty corners 87.
“My defense keeps me in the game. We trust each other a lot, and our communication has been working well,” explained Mathews. Most importantly, the Hawks clinched the second seed in the NEC Tournament, which consists of the top four teams in the conference.
This is the eighth season in the young Monmouth field hockey program that the team has made the NEC Tournament, including the third straight season in the postseason tournament.
The Hawks currently stand at 135(51) with one game left on the regular season schedule. They will wrap up their season on Sunday at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The first whistle will be at 1:00 pm. The NEC Tournament starts on November 4.
“Now it is important to focus on Robert Morris. The win today [against St. Francis, PA] was really important and it has given us a lot of confidence,” explained Coach Figlio.
